Are You Prepared for the New Year?

We are nearing the end of another year and I don’t know if you are like me, but it seems to me that we should still be in March as the year flew by in my life. I feel like it wasn’t that long ago that I was saying Happy New Year; it certainly couldn’t have been almost 12 months ago. My year was filled with great love, lots of laughter, travel, happiness, a new place to call home, more sailing, new friends, lifelong friends, new clients and new opportunities. It also had its share of challenges, frustration (patience isn’t my strong suit), heartache and fear of uncertainty. And through it all, the good the bad, the happy the sad and the ‘YES’ and ‘oh no’, it was a year that was perfectly imperfect. Because of the challenges, the victories were sweeter. Because of the sadness the laughter and love was deeper. Because of the fearful thoughts it allowed me to clarify what I DID and DO want in my life to bring into 2016.

Will there be challenges in 2016? I’m quite sure there will be but, when facing them with love, compassion, gentleness and understanding, they will show me things that help rather than hinder and they will be a great reminder to appreciate the journey and not just the destination.

So as you go about preparing for 2016, I encourage you to move forward by:

Celebrating what went well in 2015. Think about what went well in 2015 and that you would love to see grow in 2016? Take a moment to review the year – celebrate it, appreciate it, say thank you for it and move forward in 2016 in a state of gratitude.

Releasing the challenges of 2015. What were your challenges that you’d like to leave behind or lessen in 2016? Take a moment to review them and see what you learned and how you grew because of them. Be very gentle with yourself by knowing that you were doing the best you could in the moment and if it didn’t work out the way you wanted, that’s okay as it offered you a chance to further clarify what you do want in your life. Move forward in 2016 by being gentle with yourself on perceived failures of 2015.

Choosing a word to guide you through the year. I started doing that a couple of years ago and have enjoyed it. My words have been very applicable in celebration or sorrow as I ask myself how the chosen words heighten celebrations or lessen sorrows. BRAVE was my 2014 word and EASY was my 2015 choice. 2016 my word will be KIND. Move forward in 2016 with a defining word.

Declaring your resolutions. I’m not a big New Year Resolution girl as like many…I don’t stick with them. I’ve had resolutions to lose a certain amount of weight, focus on relationships, money, career, you name it, I’ve resolved it. However, if they work for you, GO FOR IT. When working with my clients on goals, I ask them this – If I assign you 5 things to do before our next meeting and you accomplish four of them, will you be excited to report back to me or feel guilty that you didn’t accomplish them all? If they say they are excited, we continue to include tasks they may or may not get to before our next session. However, if they feel bad about it, we shorten the list and ask for an under promise and over deliver. It all goes to how the ‘list’ makes you feel. Move forward in 2016 with resolutions that make you feel excited for the year to begin.

Being general with your resolutions. I mentioned above that I am not a fan of the New Year resolutions and I know longer make them. Well at least in specifics. I now create resolutions on feelings rather than doings. My resolutions aren’t fully formulated yet this year but the word KIND will certainly be essential. It will look something like this…

ALWAYS BE KIND – To myself and others, but also to be keenly aware of the people I allow into my inner circle that they possess the qualities I am willing to share my heart and soul with. This will allow me to continue to see the best in people while knowing that doesn’t mean they are the best for me. A few of my tribe members have pointed this out to me, as well Brene Brown has an amazing presentation called ‘The Anatomy of Trust™ that gives great examples of who should be allowed in your trusted relationship(s).

So move forward in 2016 with kindness while making sure your inner circle is filled with people you admire, respect, believe in and know they do the same for you.

Creating a vision board. My earlier recommendations are about staying general on your 2016 desires, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a vision of how I ‘want’ my life to look like. I love making a vision board as it allows my creative juices to flow and you really get in that feeling place while making it too. So go get your magazines and cut out pictures and words of what you would like your 2016 to look like. I’ve included a picture of my vision for 2016 and beyond. What I also add to it or anything that I am being specific about is I say ‘this or something greater,’ allowing it to unfold in ways that I haven’t even thought of yet. Move forward in 2016 with a vision that makes you come alive with excitement.

Create a miracle box. Similar to a vision board with a slight difference. Decorate a box and write on it somewhere ‘all in this boxis true’ and then write down statements of things you desire for the upcoming year. They can be specific or general. I made mine into a jar. Then once a quarter (or more if you like), open it up and read what you wrote. Write THANK YOU on what has come to fruition and feel free to continue to add more. Again, it’s all about how it makes you FEEL. Move forward in 2016 with declarations of deeper love, laughter and happiness unfolding in 2016 than you thought possible.

Mostly, my wish for you as you move forward into a new year is that you realize the preciousness of life and you don’t miss one moment of your perfectly imperfect life. Love up the celebrations and be gentle with the sorrows. Fill your life with people who see your heart and admire you, appreciate you, uplift you and are there for the celebrations and the sorrows as you are for them. Release those who no longer fit in your life with great love and appreciation for what they brought to you. Say Thank You 2015 and I’m so excited to greet you 2016.

Until next time, choose to live boldly, love deeply, laugh loudly, hug intently and smile brightly all year long.

Big, big hugs!

CC

PS – Share with me your 2016 dreams as I’d love to hear them and hold them for you by commenting below.